Worth Your Time: The Jury Duty Scam That Cost One Woman $12,825
A phone call from a “sheriff” whose number matched the real Sheriff’s Office. A warrant threat over missed jury duty. And a woman who ended up sending nearly $13,000 to a crypto kiosk before she realized what was happening.
AARP recently reported on this exact case out of Sarasota, Florida, and it’s worth your attention because it shows how convincing this particular scam has gotten. A woman received a call from someone claiming to be a sheriff’s deputy, saying she’d missed jury duty and had a warrant out for her arrest. The caller ID even showed the real Sheriff’s Office number — a trick called “spoofing.” She was directed to a so-called “Bonding Transition Center” to pay a penalty and avoid arrest. That center turned out to be a cryptocurrency kiosk, and the money was gone.
A former federal prosecutor interviewed for the piece says this scam is genuinely on the rise, with criminals impersonating real sheriffs and judges and using spoofed caller ID to sell the illusion. In a strange twist, some of the most widespread versions of this scam have actually been run by people calling from inside prison using smuggled cellphones.
The Short Version
- Real courts notify you about jury duty by mail, not by surprise phone call or email.
- No legitimate court official will ever demand payment by gift card, wire, or crypto kiosk to avoid arrest.
- Caller ID can be faked. A number that looks official doesn’t mean the call is.
- If you’re worried it might be real, hang up and call your local court clerk’s office directly, using a number you look up yourself.
📜 Read the full article: “Is Someone Claiming You’ve Missed Jury Duty? It Might Be a Scam” — AARP
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